Homily
For the
Diaconate Ordination of
PATRICK RELIHAN
in
Sacred
heart Church, Rushbrooke
Sunday, January
6, 2002
Solemnity
of the Epiphany.
***************
“…I
have been entrusted by God with the grace He meant for you”(Eph.3: 2).
These words, my dear
friends in Christ, proclaimed today in the second Reading from the letter of St.
Paul to the Ephesians, underline the fact that when God calls anyone into
mission the grace given is not meant to be exclusive or private. Rather it is
given so that all might come to the knowledge of God. God continues to reveal
Himself as Mystery and all who are called to witness to God’s action within
them are called to be immersed in the very Mystery of God Himself.
Today
the Church celebrates the Solemnity of the Epiphany, a name which comes from the
Greek word Epiphaneia, meaning appearance or manifestation.
We are
still within the Christmas Season marvelling at the mystery of God’s coming
among us as a man in the Person of His Son, Jesus. With the Shepherds we have
been drawn to the manger, for to them was announced the mystery of the
Emmanuel’s coming: “ I bring you news of great joy, a joy to be shared by
the whole people. Today, in the town of David, a Saviour has been born to you;
He is Christ the Lord” (Lk. 2:10-11). They were entrusted with a grace, a joy
‘
to be shared by the whole people’. Today, we are drawn back to the
Child-Saviour through the journey made by the wise men from the East: “ We saw
His star as it rose and have come to do Him homage” (Mt. 2:2). Having fallen
on their knees in homage, the offered the Christ-Child their regal gifts and
then
“returned
to their own country”( Mt.2:12). They had been chosen, as were the Shepherds,
to announce the Good News to the whole world. The grace given them was a grace,
a joy “to be shared by the whole people”(Lk. 2:10). And so St. Paul, in
writing to the Ephesians, is very conscious that when a grace is given, it is to
be shared, to be made manifest: “ I have been entrusted by God with the grace
He meant for you”(Eph. 3:2). Let us then, as disciples of the Christ-Child,
rejoice today as we celebrate the manifestation of God’s presence among us and
the universal Message of the Good News.
Today also,
here in Rushbrooke, the same Christ-Child of Bethlehem, the same infant King,
the same Saviour born to us, entrusts a grace to one of our Community, a grace
which is meant for ‘ the whole people’. Patrick Relihan has just been
chosen, called from among the people of this Parish and a special grace is to be
entrusted to him. From this day forward he, as a Deacon, will serve Jesus
Christ, who was known among His disciples as the one who served others. Patrick
is being entrusted with a ministry in the Church which calls for a total
commitment to the ‘Good News’ of the Gospel, a total and trusting immersion
in the mystery of the Triune God and a total and generous oblation of self in a
radical following of Christ. He has given much thought and prayer to his
decision to make himself available to Christ today. Like the Shepherds, like the
Wise Men, he falls to his knees and does homage to the Saviour. He will rise
strengthened and commissioned to challenge the world with the freshness of
Christ, with the beauty of his own consecrated life and the transparency of his
fidelity. We, my dear friends, are participants today in the unfolding of
God’s mystery of love and mercy and we are witnesses of His choice of Patrick
to be the bearer of His Good News to the world. Let us also do homage to the
living God in our midst.
Today, the Solemnity of the
Epiphany, underlines the universal character of God’s Mission to the entire
human race. His message of salvation is not the prerogative of one particular
people, of one specific race or culture. It must take root and mature to
fruition in every culture, in every Nation. It is this conviction, this grace,
which has inspired generations of missionaries to leave their homeland and to go
to faraway peoples and cultures. Today we salute them and thank God for them.
Jesus Christ is at home to every culture, to every People; He is the
‘Emmanuel’ of all peoples and time. The Universal Church, which carries on
the Mission of Christ to the world, is enriched and strengthened as each people
and culture “ open their treasures” and do homage to the ever-present living
God. In these days, when so much of the attention of the world media is
concentrated on the sad events in the Middle East and Central Asia, we must not
be led into thinking that our culture and thinking, the so-called Western
affluent world, is in any way superior to the richness of heritage and culture
to be found in the peoples of the East. It is good to remind ourselves that the
Wise Men came from the East to do homage to the new born King, who Himself chose
to be born in the Middle East, into the culture and land of David. Sometimes we,
who have a long
and rich
Christian heritage, may become very insular and parochial when thinking of
Church and may have a certain fear of losing something of our Christian way of
life if we open to the treasures of other cultures. The Wise Men from the East
offered gifts from their own cultures and did homage to the Lord:
“opening
their treasures, they offered Him gifts of Gold and Frankincense and Myrrh”
(Mt. 2:11). The treasures of every culture do homage to the God of all Peoples.
On this great Solemnity of
the Epiphany, when we contemplate the universality of the Good News of the
Gospel, it is appropriate to recall the words spoken by the present Holy Father
at the inauguration of his Pontificate: “ Do not be afraid! Open, indeed throw
open the doors to Christ! To His saving power open the confines of Nations, of
economic and political systems, of the vast fields of culture, of civilisation,
of development. Do not be afraid! Christ knows what is within the human person.
Only He knows!”(Inaugural Homily of His Holiness, Pope John Paul II, Oct. 22,
1978).
Indeed only Christ knows
what is within the human person, within you, Patrick. He knows the genuineness
of your response to His call. He knows the generosity of your self-offering. He
knows the depths of your faith. Do not be afraid! Open yourself to Him. You have
the unique opportunity to be formed to the Diaconate and eventually to the
Priesthood at the heart of the Church, in a multi-cultural environment. You are
a student at the Swedish College in the eternal City of Rome and you pursue your
studies at the Gregorian University alongside students from every Nation and
clime. You are being opened to the ‘treasures’ of the universal Church and I
am so pleased to find you responding so magnificently. You will bring to your
home Church of Cloyne a richness of faith and culture which will stand to you as
you engage in the Ministry about to be conferred on you, the Ministry of Word
and Sacrament. Today you become an ordained Minister of the Church which is in
Cloyne. As Bishop I welcome you as a brother in Christ and I can assure you of
the fraternal support of all the Priests, Religious and Lay-Faithful of the
Diocese. You have been formed in faith particularly within your own family and
in this your home Parish. Your faith-formation to date has been a call to
holiness of life as a lay person. From now on your call to holiness of life must
be responded to within the ordained Ministry. This you can only do if you
continue to be a man of prayer. Let your personal and intimate relationship with
Christ, Who calls you, be maintained by a deep prayer life, both private and
liturgical. Be faithful to the Prayer of the Church, the Divine Office. Your
Ministry as Deacon calls for a total oblation of yourself and this is uniquely
made manifest in your accepting generously the gift of celibacy which the Lord
offers you today. May you live out, day by day, your commitment to this radical
following of Christ, being a living sign and a motive of pastoral love to a
world more and more in need of such a prophetic challenge. Be happy and joyful
in your Ministry to God’s People. Be a herald of His Gospel. As you proclaim
His Word and preach it “ believe what you read, teach what you read and
practice what you teach” (Rite of Ordination).
Now I wish to thank all
those who have played a part in your formation to date. Particularly I thank
your Parents and your Brothers who have been, and indeed are, of immense support
to you. This is indeed a happy day for them. I congratulate them with all my
heart. I thank also your dear grandparents and the wide circle of family
members. May the Lord reward them all most generously for all they have done for
you.
I thank all the teachers
you have had here in Cobh, in both Primary and Secondary Schools. They have also
played a most important role in your being called today. My special thanks go to
all those in the various Seminaries you have attended, - St. Patrick’s,
Maynooth, the Irish College, Rome and the Swedish College, Rome – all those
who have been involved in your formation to the Diaconate. It is indeed a great
joy for them to see you present yourself for Ordination. In a special way I
thank the Priests of this Parish of Cobh and of the Diocese of Cloyne who, down
through the years, have nurtured you in faith and encouraged you to engage in
your vocational journey. Along with them I express
my deep gratitude to the Vocation Directors of the Diocese who have stood by you
and guided you to this happy day. The large number of Priest friends here
today is testimony of the support you have received and I thank them all for
their supportive presence.
A special word of thanks
goes to all those who have travelled from afar to be with you today, Patrick. I
am most pleased to have with us the Rector of the Pontifical Swedish College,
Monsignor Furio Caesare, and the other members of the College who have travelled
from Rome to be with you today. I thank Monsignor Furio for requesting your
ordination today and I gladly accede to his request.
Finally, I thank you, Patrick, for making yourself available to the Lord Jesus
so that He might make of you an instrument of His grace to His People. You have
responded generously, may you be blessed copiously.
Patrick, as you receive the
Ordained Ministry of Deacon you become a Minister of Word and Sacrament. You
will proclaim the Gospel, prepare the Sacrifice of the Altar and give the
Lord’s Body and Blood to the Community of Believers. Be above all a Deacon who
sets the Eucharist at the centre of your personal faith life: love the
Eucharist, adore the Eucharist and live the Eucharist by testifying to God’s
love for every person. Remember always those words of St. Paul to the Ephesians:
“ I have been entrusted by God with a grace He meant for you” (Eph. 3:2). Be
always a veritable ‘Epiphany’ of God’s love and mercy to all those to whom
you will minister and may you be truly happy in your ministry. Have a love in
your heart which is truly universal. The Good News you are ordained to proclaim
is a joy “ to be shared by the whole people” (Lk. 2:10). Come now and be
ordained a Deacon of Jesus Christ.
